The Obsessive
by Callic25
Summary: Stiles can be too codependent.
1. Chapter 1

The Obsessive

**Summary: Stiles is too codependent. He's working on learning how to be alone.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Stiles can get bored, and when he does he loves to chat with his friends.

The problem is that he only has two friends and he is always bored.

He sends them a billion texts, most of the time it's just to say "hi". Scott and Isaac rarely text him back though.

And that's when Stiles' overthinking kicks in.

_Maybe something happened to them? Or they're having sex? With each other? Nah, maybe they're just busy? Maybe they're sick of me? I should leave them alone for a while and maybe they'll wonder where I am and text me for a change. _

And so Stiles sets out to avoid his only friends.

It lasts one day. He's back to more texting. Though this time Isaac responds. And four hours later, so does Scott.

Stiles' depression temporarily recedes, but then silence greets him again. No more texts. He's depressed again.

He tosses his phone on the bed out of frustration and gets on his laptop.

He searches "how to stop overthinking" on Google and finds a few forum sites. He learns some tips on how to cure his problem, but he can't help but laugh at the fact that taking the time to look up "how stop overthinking" falls under the tab of overthinking.

The tips kind of help Stiles. For a little while, but his brain suddenly sparks up a crap ton of questions on an array of topics.

Stiles hates himself sometimes.

_Clingy!_

_Wait, what?_

Stiles' overactive brain just helped him find the focus of his problem.

So he searches. And there it is, "how to stop being a clingy friend". A question that apparently has been asked before.

_Guess I'm not the only loser._

Stiles read for hours on the topic, and the message has seeped into his brain.

Get. Busy.

Or better, get a freaking life.

Stiles could do that. He can totally get a life. So that's what he does.

Stiles gets into painting in his down time, and found a summer job to keep his mind busy.

He works at Beacon Hills County Library, shelving books and making sure the place remains clean and quiet.

Suddenly things have shifted.

Stiles uses his phone a lot less than he did. Sometimes even going weeks without talking to his friends, and actually being okay with it.

Before, Stile would feel like they were drifting apart if they didn't talk all the time, but now he is secure in himself and secure in their friendship.

Stiles meets up with Isaac and Scott at least once a month, and it's never awkward. They're still as close as ever.

_Distance really does make the heart grow fonder. _

Stiles thinks as he shelves a few books.

That is, until he turns around and bumps into Derek…

And his world reset itself.

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**I was thinking of making this a one shot, but let me know if you want me to continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter 2. I would've had this out much sooner, especially with the length of it, but I was doing NanoWrimo. I beat the challenge btw, 50,000 words in 30 days. I did it in 26 days, it was a struggle but I learned a lot.  
**

**Anyway, here it is.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Stiles bumped into someone, sending the books in the stranger's hand flying to the ground. "I'm sorry." Stiles said as he immediately dropped down to pick them up.

The stranger picked up the last one before he could get to it, so Stiles stood and handed the rest of them over.

_This guy is a big reader._

Stiles got a good look at the guy. "Wow you're big." He said, unknowingly voicing his thoughts.

The guy laughed, "Yeah, I am. If you have any other comments about me try to keep them to yourself."

Stiles nodded quickly, "Yes sir."

"I was joking by the way." The guy shifted the books from one hand to the other. He held his hand out, "I'm Derek."

Stiles shook Derek's hand, "Call me Stiles."

"Stiles? Cool name."

The boys talked for a little while in between Stiles working. Turns out Derek and Stiles have quite a few things in common. They both love Batman, they think black is a great color, and they have a common friend in Isaac Lahey, who randomly showed up.

"Sup guys, I didn't know you knew each other." Isaac said. He sat down at the table with the pair.

Stiles looked to his friend, "We kind of just met actually."

"Yeah." Derek agreed.

"Awesome. We should all hang out some time." Isaac suggested with a grin.

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me." He looked to Stiles, "What about you?"

Stiles sees his boss waving him over, "Uh, sure. Isaac, set something up," he said, standing to walk away. "I think my boss is about to have a seizure or something. I'll see you guys later."

Stiles left, leaving Isaac to stare at Derek.

"I thought you were here to grab a book for your mum like 2 hours ago, did Stiles keep you busy?" Isaac asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, Isaac." He says quickly, looking away. "But now that you said that, I better get home. My mom's gonna be so pissed." Derek looked over to Stiles and chuckles at him flailing like a crazy person as he talks. He reaches into his wallet and pulls out a card. "Hey, do you have a pen?" He asked, Isaac.

The boy in question laughs, "No, but you could just use the one of the pens sitting in the middle of the table."

Derek never felt more stupid, "Oh, right." He grabs a pen, flips the card over, and writes his number down. He quickly places the pen back, gathers up all of his books, and picks up the card. "Come on." He said to Isaac, who nods and stands up as well.

Isaac grabs three of the books from Derek, who silently thanked him as they walked over to Stiles.

"Hey." Derek said.

Stiles and his boss looked to the two guys standing in front of them.

"I'm on my way out and I wanted to give you this." He hands the card over to Stiles, who takes with a smile, "We can go to the local comic store sometime."

"Awesome. Sounds good to me. Later, Derek." He put the card in his wallet as Isaac and Derek leave the library.

Stiles' boss laughed, "I see the blush on your face, Stiles. He wants to be your friend. Remember that." He says, "Now get back to shelving those books."

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**Hope you liked it. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This story is so weird to me now. Believe it or not, but it is based on true events, especially the event with Isaac. I'm a terrible sometimes. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_**Derek:**_

You did what?

4:31pm

**Stiles:**

I gave him some of my special peppermint soap. It was the funniest voicemail ever.

4:33pm

_**Derek:**_

lol oh man, I'd love to hear it.

4:41pm

**Stiles:**

Can you come to the library? We close at 8.

4:42pm

_**Derek:**_

Will do. Be there around 6 or so.

5:04pm

Stiles puts his phone away, not able to help the dumb smile on his face. He'll never admit it to himself, but he's kind of excited to see Derek again.

It's been about a month since they met, but they both have been too busy to actually hang out. When Stiles was free, Derek wasn't or vice versa. They still haven't been to the comic book store.

And now they finally have a time when they can meet up, even if it's during Stiles' work hours. Hopefully his boss won't mind.

A giggle escapes Stiles' lips as he picks up a couple books to shelve. He's thinking back to the reason he texted Derek in the first place. Isaac.

Stiles loves to experiment and try new things. This particular time he decided that he really wanted some new soap. He's sick of Axe body wash and the fact that every guy in Beacon Hills also showers with it. So he chose to separate himself from the crowd – and yes, he's _that_ guy.

He decided on _Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap_, the peppermint kind, because he loves anything mint.

The moment he showers with the soap he feels amazing. It made him feel super clean. The only issue he had was the tingling sensation on his family jewels. It's definitely something to get used to.

The cooling sensation after the air hits you sucks as well.

You know when you chew mint gum and your mouth gets really cold when you breathe? Imagine that feeling all over your body, including the sensitive places.

The first thing Stiles did after he used the soap was text Derek about it. They had a funny chat, and the thought suddenly hit him to let Isaac try it out. Of course he omitted the after effects when he told his lanky friend about it.

His smile grows bigger.

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**6:15pm**

Derek casually strolls into what looks like an empty library. He spots Stiles at the front desk and smiles. "Stiles" He says loudly, catching the boy's attention.

Stiles looks up from the book he was reading and grins. "Hey, dude. Long time no see." He closes the book and moves it aside, giving him his full attention.

Derek walks over and leans against the desk, "Let me hear the voicemail." He says, not even bothering with small talk. After all they've been texting each other since the day they met.

"Oh right." Stiles pulls out his phone and brings up the message. He plugs in his headset and hands it all to Derek. "Try not to laugh too loud. It's the funniest thing ever."

Derek nods as he pops in the earbuds and hits the play button.

Stiles watches in amusement as Derek's face makes the funniest expressions. He tries to keep quiet, but some chuckles escape. He's listened to the voicemail like 50 times and memorized every part of it. He can't wait to see Derek's reaction to his favorite part.

And there it is! The sound of Derek cracking up is the funniest thing. Stiles can't stop laughing.

They quickly quiet down before anyone could say anything.

Derek hands the set back to Stiles, still laughing. "Oh my god. Dude you have to let me borrow that soap. Oh man." He chuckles.

"Alright. Definitely." He says with a laugh.

After Derek's laughter calms, he pulls himself together. His look turns remorseful, "I'm sorry to do this, but I have to go."

Stiles frowns a little, "What? You just got here?"

"I know and I'm sorry. But you remember I told you about that girl, Jennifer? We have a date tonight and I have to get home to shower."

Suddenly Stiles realizes that Derek is in his work uniform. Derek's a maintenance man at the Mansion at Beacon Hills Luxury Apartments.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that. Well thanks for squeezing me into your schedule. It was nice to see you anyway." Stiles gives Derek a real smile, willing to take what he can get."

Derek frowns, his face vividly displays how sorry he is. "You're welcome." He starts to back out of the library. "I'll text you later, man." He says and checks his watch. "Crap." He looks back to Stiles, "I'm on vacation next week, so let's hang out when you're off. Text me. Later." He says quickly, giving Stiles a quick wave and disappearing.

"Bye." Stiles huffs after he's gone.

8 o'clock comes quick and Stiles can't be happier. He gets into his jeep and starts it up. He's still a little bummed about Derek's quick visit. He's trying to feel the positivity of Derek willing to show up in the first place, but he still can't help feeling like something is missing.

"Damn it. I'm getting attached." His head falls on the wheel. "Not again. Maybe I need to get busier. Or expand my circle of friends."

He sits up and pulls out his phone and earbuds. He pops them in and pulls up Isaac's voicemail.

"STILES! What the hell kind of soap is this? Ah! Oh my god! You didn't _tell_ me this was damn icy hot! I used it all over my body and my balls are cold and on fire at the same freaking time! I am literally running around butt ass naked! UGH! Call me back!"

The voicemail ends and Stiles can't stop laughing, his spirits suddenly lifted as he makes his way home with a smile and a chuckle every now and then.

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**3 Months Later**

Derek is sitting across from Stiles in the back of a small diner, Presley's. "This place is my favorite." He says as he flips through the paper menu, looking for any of their new specials. "They have the best burgers."

"Do they?" Stiles asks, smiling from ear to ear. Derek's never been this happy before, but for some reason he's just really excited. "Why are you looking in the menu? The way you talk about this place it seems like you've been here like a billion times."

He looks up at Stiles, still smiling, "They always have something new when I come here. Plus I'm happy today, so I want to view all of my options." And with that he goes back to searching the menu.

Stiles already decided on a basic cheeseburger. It's noon on a Saturday and he's still a little full from his early morning cereal. "From our conversations, you are a 25 year old guy who is never happy. What's changed?"

Derek smiles behind his menu, "I finally found a semblance of clarity. " He looks like he wants to say something else, but their waitress shows up. "Hi, Beverly." He says to her lovingly. She's like a second mom to him.

Beverly is an older woman with a motherly grin and bright red lips, "Hi, Derek." She smiles at the man, and then looks over to his younger friend, "Hello, I'm Beverly."

Stiles looks from Derek to Beverly with a grin, noticing the mother-son relationship Derek seems to have with the waitress. "Hello, Beverly. I'm Stiles."

"Stiles? A Stilinski in my restaurant that's _not _the Sherriff. Odd." She says with a smile. "Your father comes in here a lot, often complaining about his health freak of a son named _Stiles._" She says to clear his confusion.

Stiles is gaping, "I can't believe he called me a health freak." He chuckles. "Unbelievable. Anyway, can I get a water, please?"

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**I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to continue this one. I haven't made any plans for it, so I don't even have a direction beyond this chapter. In a way, this could be the end, with you guys filling in what happened in between those three months.  
**

**Now that I say that, maybe I will take you guys on a small journey. Possibly 1-3 small chapters on what happened in those three months that got Stiles and Derek to this place. We'll see.**

**Follow/Favorite/Review please!**


	4. AN - Thank You All!

**I am going on a small break for a writing workshop. When I get back, I will be explaining what happened in those three months and I will make sure that this story makes sense in the end. **

**Thank you to the following:**

IvyLestrange

KittyBlack62632

abbschris

deadwithoutyou

kell young

philly93

Abbeyroadgirl13

Acidalia Hyuuga-Malfoy-Uchiha

GaiaMarty21

munesanzune

philly93

xirion

**Thank you guys for supporting this mediocre story! I hope to be a lot better after this workshop.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, this is the last chapter of the story. I'm satisfied with it. **

**Btw, The bold sub-titles are starting from the lunch which was 3 months of time. So when the title says "One Month Ago" it means one month before the lunch that took place at the end of chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**2 and a Half Months Ago**

Stiles is having the time of his life right now. The sun is shining, the breeze is just right, and the best part is that it's high school graduation! He always knew he would make it to this place, but he wasn't sure about Scott or Isaac, luckily they're up on the stage with him. It's the best day ever.

And then suddenly it's not.

Scott and Isaac deliver some great news, "We're going to vet school next week."

"What?" Stiles' day took a turn for the worst. His friends are leaving him next week and they just decided to tell him?

Scott looks ashamed all of a sudden, "I'm sorry, Stiles. I wanted to tell you sooner I just didn't know the right time."

Guess he voiced his thought. Something to work on. "It's okay. I knew you guys were going to leave eventually, I didn't think it would be this soon though."

Isaac wraps Stiles into a big hug, pressing his cheek on his friend's head, "I'm gonna miss you, man." He gives Stiles a big squeeze. Stiles returns the hug just as strong.

"Don't leave me out." Scott says, joining the hug with a grin.

"Well you're not gone yet." Stiles says as he pulls out of the hug. "We still have a week to go insane."

The week breezes by and Stiles is already saying goodbye to the best guys he's ever met. He's really trying not to cry, but his eyes won't stop burning. The constant deep breaths are working in his favor to keep the tears at bay.

He gives them a hug and watches as their little red Honda speeds away into the sun-filled distance.

Now he allows the tears to fall, not being able to hold them back anymore. He's never felt more abandoned. He wraps his arms around himself and takes the short walk back to his empty house.

Over the next few days, he managed to talk to his boss about getting into book editing to get his mind off of Scott and Isaac. Somehow, despite his ADHD, he loves to read. Maybe helping someone else with their issues will help with his own?

Freelance book editing.

Turns out he's really good at it. The only problem is that he still found himself wanting to spiral out of control and to text his 3 friends like crazy. It's a vicious cycle that he really needs to break.

Derek has been no help in his loneliness. Sometimes Stiles would sit in his room and wonder if Derek even likes him. He finds himself starting every conversation with Derek, and even though it seemed like Derek was always happy to talk to him, there is always that doubt in the back of his mind that the older, cooler, tough guy only puts up with him.

On the bright side, things take a turn and Stiles becomes really busy with work and his editing. He knew it was merely a band-aid over his abandonment issues, but he doesn't see any other way to fix himself.

Stiles wakes up one morning and immediately gets on his Facebook page. He scrolls through all of the dumb posts on his newsfeed, liking a few random posts from Scott and Isaac along the way. He then comes across a shared post from a family friend. It's a video with the thumbnail of an overweight bald man in a suit in what looks to be a church. Stiles isn't one fro religion, but the added status of 'Watch this if you are having issues with your identity. Such a blessing.' really caught his attention. So he clicks the play button and the video starts.

It's best 20 minutes of his life at the moment. The preacher talks of _being to do_ as opposed to _doing to be_. It's not as difficult to grasp as it sounds.

Stiles gets slapped across the face with this truth. "I am good enough, not because of what I do, but because of who I am."

**One Month Later (A month before the lunch)**

Ever since the message, Stiles has been feeling better about himself. As of right now, the 17 (soon to be 18) year old is standing front of his bathroom mirror. He didn't always like his pasty reflection, but the fact that he is starting to love his smile tells him that he's on the right track to loving it. He grins at himself like an idiot and gives himself a playful wink.

A ringing cuts through the silence.

Stiles lifts his iPhone out of his pocket and sees that his dad is calling. He answers, "Hey, dad. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Stiles. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out with Melissa tonight and will be home late."

Normally Stiles would be sad about not having any companionship, but he's become a master of solitude and in that mindset, he smiles. "That's awesome. Have a good time."

"Thanks, kid. Have good night, okay?"

"I will." Stiles says with a chuckle, "Alright, bye."

"Bye."

Stiles hangs up from the slightly awkward conversation, "Guess that's more food for me." He says as he walks down to the kitchen. He pulls the thawed out chicken breast from the fridge and a pack of frozen veggies and set them on the counter. Stiles has taken a liking to cooking over the last year to keep his dad healthy and alive. The last thing he needs is his old man croaking because of a bad diet. What a way for the Sheriff to go.

As he's pulling out the pots and pans, his phone rings. "What the hell?" He sets the pans on the stove and pulls his phone. "I am really freaking popular today."

He answers, "Hey, Derek, what's up?"

"Are you busy?" Derek asks, he sounds happy and quite nervous.

Stiles puts his phone on speaker and places it on the counter and moves to grab the cutting board. "Yeah, a little. Do you need something?" He opens the boneless chicken breasts and lays out four of them on the cutting board.

"Uh, yeah. I am thinking about doing something drastic and I need someone to talk to about it."

"Okay, man, come over. You remember where I live, right?"

"Yeah, it's been some time but I think I remember where it is."

Stiles seasons the chicken, "Awesome. I'm cooking so don't eat anything."

"Is your cooking edible?"

He hears Derek's stupid laugh over the phone and rolls his eyes. "Ha. Ha. Derek. Remember that it's you who called me."

"Okay true." He's still laughing, "I'll be over in a bit." He hangs up.

Stiles nods, sprinkling some lemon pepper over the chicken as he starts to sing some Rihanna song. Bad dancing commences.

For 20 minutes.

When the food is finally done and when he turns around to see Derek really trying hard to not laugh.

Stiles screams like the manliest woman ever. "Oh my god! How long have you been there? How did you get into my house?"

Derek cracks and his stupid laugh fills the room. He walks into the kitchen, one hand holding his stomach while the other is clutching a case of grape soda. "The door wasn't closed all the way. Luckily it was me that surprised you and not someone else. You could've killed someone with those dance moves." And Derek's laughing again.

Stiles rolls his eyes, "Whatever."

Derek puts the case on the sink and maneuvers around Stiles to look at the food on the stove. "Wow, this looks awesome." He turns to his friend, "How'd you know chicken and green beans was my favorite?"

"Wild guess." Stiles cheeses. "Now what did you wanna talk about?"

Derek leans over the pan of chicken and takes a deep breath, "This smells amazing."

Stiles grabs a soda and pops it open. "C'mon, tell me. I really wanna know now."

"What?" The older man turns back to his friend, "Is that your way of saying you didn't want to know before, cause I can go?" Derek chuckles.

Stiles whines. "Just tell me or I'll have to annoy it out of you."

Derek surrenders, "Okay, you win." He walks over the table and thanks God for Stiles when he puts a plate of food in front of him.

The boy sits across from him with his own plate. "Tell me what's going on."

"Brace yourself."

Stiles nods, "I'm braced. What is it?"

"I'm going to propose to Jennifer."

Stiles doesn't know what to emote. His thoughts are all over the place. On one hand, he's very happy for Derek and his happiness. He met Jennifer once and she was a nice lady, a beautiful elementary school teacher. She seemed like a great woman and she and Derek deserve to be happy. Everyone does.

But on the other hand, Stiles knows that married Derek will become an unavailable Derek. And when they have kids, Stiles will fall even further down the totem pole, and he isn't that high now.

Wait.

_I am so I do, not I do to become. I am important, I just haven't found someone to treat me as such just yet. Why is he looking at me like that? ….Oh right._

Stiles breaks into a Cheshire cat smile, "That's freaking awesome, dude!" He shouts, getting up and giving his friend a congratulatory clap on the shoulder. "That's a big step."

Derek sighs in relief at Stiles' reaction. He feared that the boy wouldn't approve. He lets out a dazzling smile and the strange feeling in the air broke.

They go on to have a great dinner, sharing funny stories and actually making a bond.

Four hours pass and Stiles is freshly showered and writing in a pad on his bed. While he's happy for Derek and Jennifer, he's still kind of sad at the fact that he's always alone.

And now he's pouring his heart into a pad that hopefully will remain a secret. The last thing he wants is anyone finding out that Stiles Stilinski keeps a diary. He knows only Stefan can pull that off.

The bright side is that Stiles is starting to feel better. Maybe he'll be lucky enough to write an award-winning novel someday with this material.

**The Lunch **

Derek and Stiles are sitting across from each other in the homey diner.

"You know what I forgot to ask you a few weeks ago, when do you plan on asking Jennifer?" Stiles blurts out randomly while sipping on his strawberry shake.

The older man looks up from his plate of fries, "I don't know yet to be honest. We've been dating around 3 months and my family loves her which is always a good sign."

"Very true." Stiles smiles. "I say you gauge her reaction on marriage in general. See what she says. Do you already have the ring?"

Derek grins, "I do." He winks with a laugh, "I keep it locked up. I can be an air head sometimes."

Stiles laughs around his straw, a little of the shake dribbling down his chin. "Okay."

"So have you talked to Isaac or Scott lately?" Derek finished his last fry, "Damn, these were awesome." He comments.

Stiles shakes his head, "Nope. Not since they left."

Derek notices his face fall. "You are awesome."

"Huh?" Stiles is confused. "Why would you randomly say that?"

Derek pushes away the plate and looks Stiles in the eyes, "I have gotten to know you over the last few months, and I want to apologize for not being around as much. And don't give me that look, Stiles, I've been in your position before. I noticed your fake smile when I told you about Jennifer. Are you really happy for me?"

Stiles is shocked into a brief silence. He's caught off guard at the fact that Derek just read him like a book, and apparently has been since they met. "Of course I'm happy for you."

"Then why the fake smiles?"

Stiles puts his shake down and wipes his chin, "I am sad that you will marry Jennifer and won't have time for me. We barely hang out now, and with Scott and Isaac gone, I am feeling more alone than ever." He says smoothly, feeling good that is talking to someone tangible instead of writing in his journal.

Derek's heart is aching a little. "I'm sorry." He starts. "I've had a hand in making you feel like this, but I promise I'll do better with making time for you. I love you almost as much as I love Isaac. You guys are my best friends and just because I might be getting married to Jennifer, doesn't mean I'll throw you guys away."

"I know." He nods, "And thank you for saying that. I'm sorry for my insecurity. I've been working hard to heal, it just hasn't happened fully yet."

Derek smiles, "You're doing fine to me. But friendship is about give and take, so I'm going to give you someone to count on outside of your father. Okay"

Stiles nods. "Okay."

"Good, and we don't have to cross the Jennifer bridge just yet. She might not even say yes."

Stiles scoffs, "Yeah, right. She will totally say yes, you're a catch. Not to make this weird, but if I had lady parts, I would totally marry you."

Time stops.

"You would be the one to make this weird."

Derek and Stiles laugh.

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**That's it! This story is officially finished. I'm happy I actually did it. **

**Anyway, hopefully you liked this and got something out of it. **

**Thank you all for reading!**


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